Honors and awards are something people are proud of. Whether you have it yourself or you are ecstatic for a loved one, it really does not matter. Having an honor or award means that you been recognized due to that good thing you have achieved no matter what age in life you are.

Schools tend to give out awards to their students such as “Earlybird” or “Perfect Attendance” and anything else they like to think of just to make sure that (in some cases only, unfortunately) each and every one of the students is recognized. After all, being recognized boosts your self-confidence, a personality trait that every one should have no matter what age.

As you grow older, you will notice that awards become less and less, but that does not mean that you did not achieve anything.

Once you reach the professional level, you will begin to see that these types of awards will mean a lot more to you than the rest. Why? Well, the reason depends on you but many people would say that it is because, after everything they have gone through during the years of experience, they have received a prize that shows how far they have come. From “Best in Reading” to “Employee of the Year”.

But did you know that there is actually a difference between honor and rewards?

Having an honor means that you are officially recognized and respected because of your accomplishments (which is more of professional). Whereas, an award is a prize you receive because you have done an achievement (which is more of personal). Having very similar definitions can often lead to the confusion of them both.

When you receive an honor or reward, you immediately have pride in yourself regarding what you have done. You can tell the world, “Hey! I did this! I did something good!” Go ahead and be proud, just do not overdo it. There is no need to show off.

An example of someone who is recognized due to his accomplishments and achievements is Ryan Kavanaugh. In 2010, he was featured in Fortune’s 40 Under 40 Most Influential People in Business and ranked as the 21st. He was also in Forbes’ Future 400: Ones to Watch.

In 2009, held at the 13th Annual Hollywood Awards Gala, he won the Hollywood Producer of the Year Award. In that same year, an article featured in a special issue of Daily Variety called him the “Billion Dollar Producer”. The Leadership Award was given to Mr. Kavanaugh by The Hollywood Reporter in 2010. It was the Daily Reporter’s turn to have a special issue with him as the “Billion Dollar Producer”. And in 2011, he was given the name of Variety’s Showman of the Year.